


Meeting the Lady (and Each Other)

by LouPF



Series: Walking in Starlit Fields (and Memories) [3]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, POV First Person, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 14:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20229175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouPF/pseuds/LouPF
Summary: Gimli stands face to face with Lady Galadriel and is encouraged in the strangest way possible. For the first time in his life, someone believes what he sees. Afterwards, Legolas is curious about something the Lady said, and a friendship blooms.





	Meeting the Lady (and Each Other)

There was something about the Lady Galadriel’s gaze that made the others freeze up and gape. It was like a spell, it seemed, for their eyes glazed over and their cheeks reddened. She broke it, always, and spoke their name. Ringbearer Frodo. Merry. Pippin. Prince Legolas of Greenwood.

Titles, if they had. Names, if not.

Then her wise, old eyes turned on me, and I found I could not speak.

_Ah_, her voice spoke in my mind, echoing softly – gently – off my mental walls. _Gimli child of Gloin._

A rush of gratitude and pleasure rolled through me at the _child_. I was no _son_, nor was I _daughter_. The braids in my beard would say as much to any Dwarf who took more than a second to look at me, but of course, neither Men nor Hobbit nor Elf would be able to read the knots and ties in my hair.

Lady Galadriel knew. Not only did she know, she _understood._

I gathered my thoughts and sent out a loud, _My Lady!_

She inclined her head, and while her expression did not change, there was an amused glint to her eyes. _Fierce, _she said, and the amusement bled into her tone. _You have walked these paths before._

The relief threatened to send me to the floor. In all my long, long years I had scarcely wanted to believe it myself, let alone make others see what I could barely make out in my own inmost mind. Yet now, at the heart of a wooded forest, face to face with the strangest, most ethereal, most _beautiful _creature I had ever seen – the truth came to light.

I was real.

_Aye,_ I said. _Mayhaps not these paths in particular – though yes – I have._

_I can see what you have seen_, the Lady replied. Now there was wonder – amazement – in her voice. _You Remember well, Gimli Gloinul. _

The tell-tale heat of a blush climbed up my neck. _I have worked hard_, I said. _It hasn’t been an easy path._

There’s the sensation of something _shifting _inside of me, as though something had been moved – the Lady, I realized, must have sought something out. _Yes_, the Lady said slowly. _Yes, you have, and the path has been rough. And still, it is not complete. _Now she smiled. _Still, you might find exactly what you wish for_.

I was not foolish enough to inquire for what that wish was. Ack, or mayhaps, it was indeed foolish _not _to ask, for I would not know for many months what the Lady meant. Instead, I only inclined my head. _My Lady_, I said, before my own mind failed me and my words trailed off.

_Yes?_

I straightened my shoulders. _Do you Remember?_

The pulse of regret was not my own. _Alas, I do not. I Know I am Old, though I have yet to Remember._

I barely managed to refrain from grimacing. That must be a terrible thing – to feel the past looming over you, to have the longing and yearning etched deep into your bones – without _remembering_.

I inclined my head – nay, I _bowed_. The connection to the Lady withered – withered, but did not die.

“Gimli,” she said, aloud, and I was not startled to hear that it was even more beautiful and melodic – and _eerie _– without my mind than within. “Gimli Wanderer, Elf-Friend.”

I drew a deep breath. _Elf-Friend_.

Several eyes were boring into my neck.

I did not give them the satisfaction of turning around.

*

Later, once we had returned to camp, little Pippin plopped down beside me in the grass. “Say, Gimli, what did the Lady show you?” He grinned a secretive little grin and leaned closer. “You held her gaze for an awfully long time!”

Show -? She had not shown me a single image, merely her own beautiful looks – her own beautiful voice. “Laddie, I will tell you what I saw if you say what you saw,” I replied, putting my pipe to my lips with my own secretive smile.

Pippin grew uncomfortable immediately, his pointed ears – pointed, aye, but far from the elongated one of elves – twitching. “Now, well – er – that is to say – ”

Frodo came to the poor hobbit’s rescue. “Now, Pippin, I suppose Master Gimli here is as reluctant as you – as we all are – to share what the Lady bestowed upon him.” In my direction, he shot a gently apologizing smile. I waved him off. Pippin was a young lad – I wouldn’t take his curiosity from him.

A shadow fell over me.

The Elf – Legolas, the Prince – had deigned it wise to stand before me, blocking off the sun. I squinted up at him. Surely positioning himself so that his hair glowed like molten gold around him was intentional.

“Master Gimli,” he said, nodding his head at me. “Would you walk with me? I would like to discuss some matters with you.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Aye, if you wish.”

To my great surprise, he then proceeded to hold out a hand to me. Was he offending? Nay, it seemed like he truly wished to help. Grunting in agreement, I took his hand – surprised at the strength with which he heaved me up, but refusing to let it show.

To my even greater surprise, he did not immediately let go of my hand. Oh, make no mistake, let go of it he did – but he did not do it as though burned, and there was not a sliver of disgust in his expression.

“Let’s go, then, lad,” I said, gesturing impatiently towards the general wooden area around us. Despite the physical age gap between us, I had no qualms in calling the Elf-Prince _lad_. He was a young soul, I knew – young, in the way that neither the fair Lady Galadriel nor I were.

Legolas had the lead, taking to a path invisible to my eyes. We walked in silence for some time, and then the Elf let out a sigh. “What did the Lady call you?”

I blinked. _Elf-Friend. _“Elf-Friend,” I said, casting a glance up at Legolas. Was that the matter that bothered him so? “Quite, now, Master Legolas – am I so alien to you, that for the Lady to consider me a friend is close to an insult to yourself?”

“I – what? No!” he exclaimed, turning on me with something akin to surprise. “The Lady naming you Elf-Friend is – her choice to make.” Seeing my raised eyebrow, he hurried to add, “And a choice I of course support – she is Lady Galadriel, she knows better than any.”

I nodded, content with that. “Then, what ails you?”

He looked away. “The Lady – she named you _Wanderer_. Know you what it means?”

“The definition of the word, aye,” I said, frowning up at him. I had used the word often in our journey – had he not picked up on it? Ack, but nay – something about his wording… “Something tells me that is not the whole truth.”

“You are not mistaken,” Legolas allowed. “A Wanderer… ai, well, it means _‘a soul who wanders_.’” He levelled me with a pointed look. “This is not your first life.”

I lowered my eyes. There would be no use in denying it – and truly, there was no _point _in denying it, either. Had the Lady not said anything, then neither would I, unsure about my own sanity and reality, but… “Aye,” I said, and I left it at that.

“Is this normal?” Legolas asked. “For dwarves?”

“Dwarrow,” I corrected him. “It is as normal as it is, I suppose.”

He gave me a skeptical look. “Quite.” We were still walking beside each other, the forest alive and breathing beside us. “Are you allowed to talk about it?”

“Allowed?” I repeated. “Aye – desire, however? Nay, not quite the same.”

The evening proved to be full of surprised when Legolas laughed. “Ah, yes, you are, of course, right. Forgive me, Gimli – I am curious, is all.”

It was the first time he used my name with no title.

I found, to my great shock, that I hoped it was not the last.


End file.
